McCartney's Four-Point Night Powers Roadrunners Past Wranglers, 5-2
AHL Tucson Roadrunners

McCartney's Four-Point Night Powers Roadrunners Past Wranglers, 5-2

Published on January 2, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Two power-play goals sparked a four-goal run as the Tucson Roadrunners (13-12-5-0) pulled away for a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Wranglers (15-12-7-1) on Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

After conceding the game's opening goal, Tucson responded with four unanswered tallies spanning the final minutes of the first period into the third. Calgary briefly cut the deficit to two late in the third, but Ben McCartney sealed the win with a shorthanded goal at 17:25 to restore Tucson's three-goal lead.

McCartney led all Roadrunners with four points (1g, 3a), six shots, and recorded Tucson's first shorthanded goal of the season. Scott Perunovich (2a) and Austin Poganski (1g, 1a) also posted multi-point performances in the win.

Poganski and Cameron Hebig each scored on the power play just 46 seconds apart, flipping a one-goal deficit into a one-goal advantage for the Roadrunners.

Defenseman Juuso Välimäki scored his first goal of the season in just his second game with Tucson, beating Owen Say with 15 seconds remaining in the second period to make it 3-1. Fellow Finnish countryman Miko Matikka added his second goal of the season at the eight-minute mark of the third period to cap Tucson's four-goal run.

The Roadrunners close out the series against the Wranglers at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday. Puck drop is scheduledn for 1 p.m. AZT.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2026


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